Improvement in water-wheels



- Patented-, Mar. 7, 1871.

N. PETERS, PHOTO-UTNDGRA 3 E. E. COLEMAN. Turbine Water-Wheel.

WW HR Ill No, 112,324. i "kimswa.

a wheels; p a is e i FigureII is also a-plan"vie\v, with the top re- 1 moved, exposiugthe ends o'fthegatesand floats; a

enwli iiif or WEST o MINeToiv, MASSACHUSETTS.

Letters Patent N0.112,324, dated March 7,1871.

IMPROLVEMENT'JIN WATER-WHEELS.

j The Schedule referred to in these Letters latent and making part of the same.

j IQED WARD El (lonuMifiof West .Gummington, Hampshire county,a Commonwealth of Massachusetts, have invented an Improved Turbine Water- Wheel, of which thefollowing is a specification.

Nature and Objects the Invention. My invention relates to aw'heel so oonstruoted that the largest pe'r cent of force is utilized by direct ac tion of the head'of water against the floats, together with the reaction of l the escaping water from the Wheel, and to the construction and arrangement of a y the gates, with the mechanism for opening and shutjting the same,so as to through the wheel,

regulate the flow of water Description of theAcchhtpm g ing Dru Icing. Figure I-I is a plan yiew of the top of one of my Figure-III is a side view a Figure IVis a side view of the cylinder with the Figure v is a eudview of the bottom of m .Wheel. a

y General De se'ription.

Through the center of thecylinder runs the shaft D, which passes through a sleeve, L, in the top of the wheelfand has a bearing, F, at the lower. part of the wheel, upon cross-piecesd, Securely bolted at their ends to the case R of the wheel.

The floats are ai'ranged around the outside sur-.

face of the cylinder, spirally. a a a i Eachl float commences atjthe top of the cylinder radiallytothe shaft, and winds around thejcylinder,

, forming a curve, of which the center would he on a line withgthe top of the cylinder, and to which the bottom end of the cyliudenforms a line nearly a p The capacity of the spacei h etween the upper ends ofythe floats is atleast twice as great as at their lower ends, so that the reaction of the water leaving the wheel bears a direct proportion to its mo mentuin, which had been greatlyincreased by being confined. 1 a y alhe water is admitted lto itheifloats through gates hinged between thefflangel'l of the case Rand the top piece X of the: wheel, the flange T and top pieceiX being firmly joined by side pieces .0 .0, 850.,

a i which hold them securelytogether, and enable them to afl'ord good arbors to the rods upon which the ,gatesare fastened. v

lhese pie'ces, on, 8rd, correspond in number to the gates t t, 860, which have the rods to which.

they are attached against the side and at the end of each piece 0, so that when the gates, which are segmentsof a circle and slightly overlap at their ends, are closed, a space would be left between the side piece 0 and gate t.

This is seen in Fig II, where it is shown, also, that the gates are not hinged at their centers; if they were so hinged, in\orderv to have the pressure of the head of water balanced upon each side of the center, so that there would be no pressure to oppose their being opened .when once shut, it would be necessary, in a wheel with many floats, to have the circle formed by the closed gates much larger, to env able enough water to be let on and at the same time. have the ends of the gates swing clear of the edges of the floats.

I avoid this necessity by fastening them to the rods, about one-third of their length from the end that swings inward, and then toprevent the water from pressing in between the gate and piece 0, I formon the gate the shield g, opposite the end of the piece 0, and at a point on the gate. half way between the rod and the end that swings out.

The effect of this arrangement is, thatwhile the gates can be opened to a desired width, the press ore of water on them when closed does not operate in the least to prevent them from being opened.

The ends of the rods pass through the top X, and are rigidly attached to armsS, as shown in Fig. I.

These arms radiate from the shaft when the gates are half open, having pins f running through slots in their ends, which pins are placed upon the circumference of afloat-wheel, W, resting upon the top X, and revolving upon thesleeve L, and by means oi'a fanshaped projection extending from thewheel in a plane with it, and provided with teeth which mesh with a pinion upon a thumb-screw or other convenient handle.

The gates are opened or closed bya few revolutions of the pinions.

In Fig. I the gates are wide open, the ends of the shields g projecting beyond the top X and The construction and arrangement of my floats B upon the cylinder A is materially and substantially different from any in use, in that the floats are arranged upon the outside of the cylinder, in a curve, unbroken from end to end, and in aourve oonstantl y increasing from their tops to their lower ends, so

atmi time Vt,hinged at one side of their centers, and at the ends 1. The'cylinder A, having the floats B B arranged of the pieces a 0, 850., and having the shields -g, the upon the outside, in a. curve, unbroken from end to whole being constructed and arranged as shown and end, and in a. curve constantly increasing from their described; tops to their lower ends, forming a. wheel, to receive EDWARD E. GOLEMAN. the water at its top, the parts being all constructed and arranged substantially as shownan'd described. Witnesses:

2. The arrangement and construction of the gates Fonnycn WHITMARSH,

E. A. WHITMARSH. 

